1 John: Knowing a Loving God Sermon 2: Sin April 10 th 2016

We Started With Context 2 Timothy 3:16 This is a letter of rebuke, correction, and teaching that benefits us today as well. Early Gnosticism taught “All mater is evil.”

Today I want to note the passages about sin, unity, and worldliness and how they are helpful for us to understand today.

1 John 1:5- 2:6 on page Jn 1:5 This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. 6 If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.

1 John 1:8-10 1Jn 1:8 If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess (say the same thing - agree with God about) our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives.

Our Defense & Atoning Sacrifice The encouragement is to avoid sin and choose to walk in the light, however, the nature of Jesus being fully man and fully God allows him to be our defense lawyer and payment for sins. God demands complete purity and Jesus provides his own purity for all.

1 John 2:1-2 1 My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense —Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. 2 He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.

1 John 2:3-6 3 We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands. 4 The man who says, “I know him,” but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him. 5 But if anyone obeys his word, God’s love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him: 6 Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did.

1 John 2:9-11 The specific command that these groups are not following is the command to love one another. 1 John 2:9 “Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates his brother is still in the darkness.” Even during times of false teaching and division love is the standard and unity is the goal.

1 John 2: Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For everything in the world—the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does—comes not from the Father but from the world. 17 The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does (is doing) the will of God lives forever.

Note about “love” The “love” in this section is the verb form of ‘agape’ and I found this definition helpful – This word connects to the idea of “prefer” so it speaks to a "discriminating affection which involves choice and selection." Do you prefer the world or do you prefer the Father?

1 John 2:18-26 Page 1900 Dear children, this is the last hour; and as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come. This is how we know it is the last hour. 19 They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us.

1 John 2: But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth. 21 I do not write to you because you do not know the truth, but because you do know it and because no lie comes from the truth. 22 Who is the liar? It is the man who denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a man is the antichrist—he denies the Father and the Son. 23 No one who denies the Son has the Father; whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also.

1 John 2: See that what you have heard from the beginning remains in you. If it does, you also will remain in the Son and in the Father. 25 And this is what he promised us—even eternal life.

1 John 2: I am writing these things to you about those who are trying to lead you astray. 27 As for you, the anointing you received from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit—just as it has taught you, remain in him.

Information… Application Today our time has been invested in considering what sin is, our call of unity, our response to worldliness and the need to be separated from false teachers who undermine Jesus in our lives but how do we apply these concepts?

Take Ownership I see this as a call to take ownership of our faith and our theology. We are individually accountable to God for what we believe as well as for what we teach. Lazy faith, and poor theology, give Satan ample room to work which can have eternal consequences.

9 Ways to Think it Through 1)How would I define sin? In what ways do I take it too lightly in my life? 2)Have I accepted Jesus’ atoning sacrifice and do I demonstrate that by choosing to walk in the light? 3)What appeals to me in the world to the point that I may prefer it to God?

9 Ways to Think it Through 4)Who is influenced by my theology and what are they learning about committing to Jesus a life of faithfulness by listening to me and watching my life? 5)How am I feeding myself in God’s word and in Bible study and where am I living on pre-chewed food by taking the word of others? 6)How am I building spiritual muscle and in what ways am I spiritually stronger than I have been in the past?

9 Ways to Think it Through 7)How am I walking in the same ways that Jesus did? (2:6) 8)How focused am I on this life, how focused am I on the eternal life? (2:17) 9)What will “doing the will of God” look like for you this week? (2:17) 10) Your Bonus Question!